Eleven Minutes
001.
In eleven minutes, you can bake a batch of tantalizing brownies, take a shower, make an omelet, gossip with your friends, or watch an episode of Spongebob. You could check your update of Facebook, write a poem, call your grandma, or a number of other frivolous things.
Or you can claim sixteen innocent lives.
No one ever expects to go to school and die. You expect to sit in a bland, blank-walled classroom for eight hours, learning things you will never retain or remember. You expect to lose time that could be better used for other things.
But you never expect to die.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Brian's warm breath smelled like cigarettes, but I didn't mind. All that mattered to me right now was having him near to me. Because although we were only seventeen, I was madly in love with Brian Elwin Haner, Jr. Words cannot express how I felt about him.
"Nevaeh, baby. You know I love you, right?", Brian's soft voice whispered in my ear. I was leaned against my locker, Brian's inked arms on either side of my head, trapping me there. People would walk by us and smile. We were the school's 'it' couple, even gaining the title of 'most likely to be together forever' in the annual.
Together forever. That sounded like such a long time. But if I would be spending it with Brian, it could never be long enough.
"Let's skip last period.", Brian suggested feverishly. "I've got all the shit in my car, so we could just leave now and get to the lake early."
Brian and I made it a point to head to the lake at least once every two months. We always rented the same cabin, one directly overlooking the water, because it was in that very cabin at the lake that Brian and I first declared our love for one another. And this weekend would be special for Brain and I, because we would be celebrating our third anniversary. I was extremely excited to spend this time with Brian.
I nodded my head and whispered a soft agreement and then Brian began kissing me. His kisses were so sweet and gently that I practically melted against the lockers.
"Haner!", a voice yelled. This voice that called out to my love was full of bitterness and malice. It could only belong to Rodney Masadena, someone with whom Brian and I had been at odds with for many years.
"What do you want, Masadena?", Brian spat, not even bothering to turn around. He was angry now. Exceptionally angry. And our romantic moment had been ruined.
"This is for making my life a living hell since seventh grade." After this chilling sentence was spoken, I looked up just in time to see Rodney aim a .22 caliber pistol at Brian's back and fire one, two, three times.
The next few seconds seemed to stretch out for years. Brian's pupils widened with shock, completely filling him terrified brown eyes. His right hand pressed to his abdomen and came away covered in sticky red blood. Brian crumpled to the ground in steps, knees first, then his full body. I screamed his name in anguish as I knelt next to his fallen form and pulled his broad shoulders into my lap.
There were more gunshots, footsteps, people screaming. His blood was all over me, staining my clothes a deep red.
He was still, too still. And he was cold, far too cold.
The sob started as a choking noise in my throat and then the tears were streaming down my face. Salty, bitter, suffocating me.
Brian was slumped over in my lap, ice cold, still unmoving. I was terrified. I could see the life draining from Brian's body right before my very eyes. I was losing the love of my life. My hands went to the now paper white skin on his neck and I shook him.
"Brian, please don't die.", I begged of him. Never mind he couldn't hear my pleas. I shook him harder. Still, he didn't move. "Please. I need you." I laid my head down and cried into his bloodied chest. "I love you, Brian."
For a fraction seconds, I thought I felt Brian move beneath me. I thought it to be a figment of my imagination, because I was so greatly wishing that this would all just turn out to be some horrible nightmare.
I jumped as I felt something brush the shell of me ear. Opening my tear-filled eyes, I saw Brian, eyes open in slits, his mouth forming a weak grin.
"Brian, you're awake!"
"Not for long, baby.", he rasped. His voice sounded weak. I knew his time was running out. And apparently, so did he. "I think this is it for me, Nevaeh."
I choked on fresh tears. "Don't say that, Brian.", I whispered soothingly to him. "Because you have to stay. I-I need you."
Brian was silent for a few moments. He coughed, sputtered, turned his head to the side. Then he spit blood onto the linoleum floor. Next he grabbed my hand, covered in his own blood, and squeezed it with all the strength he could muster. "Nevaeh, baby, you know I want nothing other than that. But I don't think I'm gonna be able to hold out much longer."
I bent down and kissed his lips, covered in blood but still as soft as ever. "I love you, Brian. Promise you'll wait for me?"
"Forever and ever, baby.", he said with his signature smirk. A few seconds later Brian closed his eyes and I felt his grip on my hand loosen and finally falter completely. He was gone.
I cried again, holding tight to Brian's body. I heard footsteps approaching from down the hall and grew afraid that Rodney had come back to finish Brian off. But it was too late for that.
The new arrivals turned out to be the paramedics, who tried very hard to convince me to release Brian's body. But I wasn't letting go. And once they saw the blood covering my own clothes, they were worried about me, too.
In the end, they had to forcibly drag me from my fallen love's body. And I went kicking and screaming. I met my parents outside who embraced me, cooed that they were glad I was safe. Eventually someone noticed that I was crying and covered in blood and thought to ask what was wrong. I told them how Rodney had shot and killed Brian right in front of me.
Then I blacked out.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
'Rodney Masadena, a senior at Huntington High School, went on a shooting rampage at the high school today, killing sixteen students and injuring eight more. Among those lives lost today were Brian Elwin Haner Jr., Rachel Morris, Ari Frolling, Owen Knight, Bentley Haven, Darbi Flake, Gemma Franklin, Marlee Galloway, Alyson Hannigan, Derrek Levi, Johnathan Bethue, Ethan Howell, Lizzie Simpson, Nicolette Thompson, Zakkiyah Lorens, and Sadie Lawrence. The shooter was also found dead at the scene, presumably having taken his own life.'
Become awake, from sleep arise
You were dead, become alive
Climb from your grave into the light
Or you can claim sixteen innocent lives.
No one ever expects to go to school and die. You expect to sit in a bland, blank-walled classroom for eight hours, learning things you will never retain or remember. You expect to lose time that could be better used for other things.
But you never expect to die.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Brian's warm breath smelled like cigarettes, but I didn't mind. All that mattered to me right now was having him near to me. Because although we were only seventeen, I was madly in love with Brian Elwin Haner, Jr. Words cannot express how I felt about him.
"Nevaeh, baby. You know I love you, right?", Brian's soft voice whispered in my ear. I was leaned against my locker, Brian's inked arms on either side of my head, trapping me there. People would walk by us and smile. We were the school's 'it' couple, even gaining the title of 'most likely to be together forever' in the annual.
Together forever. That sounded like such a long time. But if I would be spending it with Brian, it could never be long enough.
"Let's skip last period.", Brian suggested feverishly. "I've got all the shit in my car, so we could just leave now and get to the lake early."
Brian and I made it a point to head to the lake at least once every two months. We always rented the same cabin, one directly overlooking the water, because it was in that very cabin at the lake that Brian and I first declared our love for one another. And this weekend would be special for Brain and I, because we would be celebrating our third anniversary. I was extremely excited to spend this time with Brian.
I nodded my head and whispered a soft agreement and then Brian began kissing me. His kisses were so sweet and gently that I practically melted against the lockers.
"Haner!", a voice yelled. This voice that called out to my love was full of bitterness and malice. It could only belong to Rodney Masadena, someone with whom Brian and I had been at odds with for many years.
"What do you want, Masadena?", Brian spat, not even bothering to turn around. He was angry now. Exceptionally angry. And our romantic moment had been ruined.
"This is for making my life a living hell since seventh grade." After this chilling sentence was spoken, I looked up just in time to see Rodney aim a .22 caliber pistol at Brian's back and fire one, two, three times.
The next few seconds seemed to stretch out for years. Brian's pupils widened with shock, completely filling him terrified brown eyes. His right hand pressed to his abdomen and came away covered in sticky red blood. Brian crumpled to the ground in steps, knees first, then his full body. I screamed his name in anguish as I knelt next to his fallen form and pulled his broad shoulders into my lap.
There were more gunshots, footsteps, people screaming. His blood was all over me, staining my clothes a deep red.
He was still, too still. And he was cold, far too cold.
The sob started as a choking noise in my throat and then the tears were streaming down my face. Salty, bitter, suffocating me.
Brian was slumped over in my lap, ice cold, still unmoving. I was terrified. I could see the life draining from Brian's body right before my very eyes. I was losing the love of my life. My hands went to the now paper white skin on his neck and I shook him.
"Brian, please don't die.", I begged of him. Never mind he couldn't hear my pleas. I shook him harder. Still, he didn't move. "Please. I need you." I laid my head down and cried into his bloodied chest. "I love you, Brian."
For a fraction seconds, I thought I felt Brian move beneath me. I thought it to be a figment of my imagination, because I was so greatly wishing that this would all just turn out to be some horrible nightmare.
I jumped as I felt something brush the shell of me ear. Opening my tear-filled eyes, I saw Brian, eyes open in slits, his mouth forming a weak grin.
"Brian, you're awake!"
"Not for long, baby.", he rasped. His voice sounded weak. I knew his time was running out. And apparently, so did he. "I think this is it for me, Nevaeh."
I choked on fresh tears. "Don't say that, Brian.", I whispered soothingly to him. "Because you have to stay. I-I need you."
Brian was silent for a few moments. He coughed, sputtered, turned his head to the side. Then he spit blood onto the linoleum floor. Next he grabbed my hand, covered in his own blood, and squeezed it with all the strength he could muster. "Nevaeh, baby, you know I want nothing other than that. But I don't think I'm gonna be able to hold out much longer."
I bent down and kissed his lips, covered in blood but still as soft as ever. "I love you, Brian. Promise you'll wait for me?"
"Forever and ever, baby.", he said with his signature smirk. A few seconds later Brian closed his eyes and I felt his grip on my hand loosen and finally falter completely. He was gone.
I cried again, holding tight to Brian's body. I heard footsteps approaching from down the hall and grew afraid that Rodney had come back to finish Brian off. But it was too late for that.
The new arrivals turned out to be the paramedics, who tried very hard to convince me to release Brian's body. But I wasn't letting go. And once they saw the blood covering my own clothes, they were worried about me, too.
In the end, they had to forcibly drag me from my fallen love's body. And I went kicking and screaming. I met my parents outside who embraced me, cooed that they were glad I was safe. Eventually someone noticed that I was crying and covered in blood and thought to ask what was wrong. I told them how Rodney had shot and killed Brian right in front of me.
Then I blacked out.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
'Rodney Masadena, a senior at Huntington High School, went on a shooting rampage at the high school today, killing sixteen students and injuring eight more. Among those lives lost today were Brian Elwin Haner Jr., Rachel Morris, Ari Frolling, Owen Knight, Bentley Haven, Darbi Flake, Gemma Franklin, Marlee Galloway, Alyson Hannigan, Derrek Levi, Johnathan Bethue, Ethan Howell, Lizzie Simpson, Nicolette Thompson, Zakkiyah Lorens, and Sadie Lawrence. The shooter was also found dead at the scene, presumably having taken his own life.'
Become awake, from sleep arise
You were dead, become alive
Climb from your grave into the light
♠ ♠ ♠
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